Playground Architect

Inspiration for the most part isn't something that strikes like a lightening bolt, unsought and without effort. Different mediums require different degrees of diligence and discipline in order to be open to, seek out, process, and implement whatever myriad of things might jump-start the discovery of an idea. With writing it can take the combination of a kind of constant pursuit as well as idea gestation, which I've gone into previously, to lock down some actionable inspiration. With improv there is a certain amount of preplanning, of preparation, all in real time for the most part, when you assess a scene or situation and evaluate and discard a number of possible options or digressions before making a specific choice or move. But there are those rare moments when things bubble up from no where.

I had one of those moments in the Schwa show last Sunday. Jeannie and I were two loveable nerds in a prom scene where both of us had gone stag, we had this kind of awkward flirty conversation and at one point asked each other what we planned to do after graduation. My response was "I'm going to be a playground architect" which got a laugh and led to a fun scene later on with Craig. Now certainly that isn't particularly revelatory nor was it one of those moments that anyone in the audience will necessarily remember but for me the idea, the profession of "playground architect" just came from no where. I had no idea what I was going to say I reached for something and thats what I found apropos of nothing. As on-the-nose as it may sound it was one of those moments of true inspiration where I didn't force anything, didn't invent anything, I just found what I was looking for out in the creative ether. And that kind of moment feels like magic.

I had a similar experience with the poem I wrote this week. I woke up and the idea and first three stanzas were just kind of there, the afterglow of an apocalyptic dream. This kind of thing is rare enough, at least for me, that its still very exciting and gratifying. Ultimately every artist/creative person needs to develop a discipline with how they create content, a routine of input and output. A habit of looking for inspiration everywhere, with this default awareness in place you are more susceptible to those rare calls of the muse.

"I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean." -Socrates

A Fable About Discipline

There once was a great tortoise
who was one thousand years old.
He lived on the beach.
Every hundred years he went for a swim.
And let the salted waves
carry him for a day
but no more.

It is thought
he knew something
we did not.

This was long ago.

Balance & Time

Currently I am at loose ends in the wake of my office closure. This is week two. It's nice to have my days free with some summer left to go. The weather has been nice and I've been outside more than I have in years. Soaking up the sun and appreciating the seasonal warmth.

Filling all the free time has been trickier than I anticipated. Trying to balance being productive, developing a routine, remaining active, and "relaxing". I've found that I can't loaf around all day even though initially the idea seemed appealing. I can't have a day where I don't have a plan or something scheduled. I get restless. I have to have someplace to go, something to do. People talk about wanting to do "nothing" but I've found I can't have down time per say, sitting around the house for more than an hour or two with no project or task makes me anxious and irritable. I don't think anyone truly wants to do "nothing" what they really want is just a free evening or afternoon to decompress. At this point I'm thoroughly decompressed so the challenge is filling up the time with things that have some value either personally(reading, writing, seeing friends), domestically(cooking, cleaning), or professionally(applying for jobs/grad schools) and actually doing them.

It's easy to get comfortable and lazy when you have very limited external demands. At this point I have a budding routine and have(so far) stuck to it. I am(and working to stay) reasonably motivated and inspired. Being happy and productive takes effort regardless of your circumstances. While I'm not working, that's the work I'm trying to do.